


Astral

by E_C_N_OctavianPrime



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Parenting, Comfort, Developing Relationship, Not Canon Compliant, OC, OC(s), Original Character Death(s), Panic Attacks, RP, Roleplay, Triggers, lab experiments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 13:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21357133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/E_C_N_OctavianPrime/pseuds/E_C_N_OctavianPrime
Summary: Pain. That was it.PainDoctors.Needles.Pain.Experiments.Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, painpainpainpainPAINPAINPAINAPAINPAIN…… Hopeless.That’s all he’s known since his birth. It’s all he’ll ever know. They made sure of that. That no one would ever care. Not the doctors, not the nurses, not Them. His own parents. They made sure that he knew that. That he had nothing. That he was nothing.He didn’t even have a name… until he was given one.They had been wrong. So wrong. He did have something. He has a name now, and now he has hope. The nice doctor showed him that. That he had hope. Even love.He was free now.Right?...Right?No.It seems the past has many ways of finding you. Of catching you. No matter where you hide or how long. No matter how fast or how far you run away. It finds you.It’ll find him. It’ll be Hell-bent on breaking him.No matter what.But now he knows who they are, what they are. Now, he has people on his side willing to fight with him. All the way to the end.
Relationships: Loki/Original Female Character
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

Rick sighed heavily as he sat down in an uncomfortable chair and fiddled with his locket, he had half a mind to open it due to his nerves but thought better of it. He glanced over to where Elliot was talking to one of the bank's workers, the usually calm old man was clearly frustrated and angry. Yeah... coming close to losing your house would do that to you. The raven looked away from his 'father' and instead focused his gaze on a skinny girl sitting on the other side of the room from him. She was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled up, she was trying to hide Rick concluded. He knew why, she had looked up at him a while ago and he had seen the scars across her face before she had ducked her head down again. Poor girl…

Emery tapped her fingernails against the table as she waited for her brother to return. She slightly looked up and looked over at the old man, not noticing Rick looking at her.

Elliot was obviously stressed and tired as he practically begged the worker to give him at least another weak. The woman wouldn't budge though. "Please, I will have the money, I just need more time. There's nowhere we could put these kids, they have no one else." He pleaded. 

The woman gave him a cold glare. "The answer is still _no_ Dr. Jade. You'll just have to figure something out."

Rick turned his gaze from Emery to the woman and glared harshly at her. He could feel her smugness at seeing Elliot basically unravel in front of her. Bitch. Didn't she know the _lengths_ Elliot took to take care of those kids? No, of course not, she was just a smug bitch who could care less if she ruined someone's life. She didn't know what Elliot had gone through, especially to protect Rick. His breathing sped up slightly as he felt his nerves buzz and his head pound. _Crap._ He quickly snapped open his locket and listened to the tune as he took deep breaths. He needed to calm down before shit hit the fan and he lost it.

Emery narrowed her eyes just as Emerson came back with her fixed mask. She snatched it from him and proceeded to go over to Elliot and the woman. Her brother blinked in surprise.

Rick was unaware of Emery going to his father, but he did sense a shift in her emotions. He chose to ignore it as he took deep breaths and squeezed his eyes shut. The locket continued to play its tune as he slowly calmed.

Elliot noticed her. "Emery, please d-" 

"Tomorrow." She said with her thick German accent. Her cold brown eyes stared at the woman.

The woman looked at Emery with a brow raised before she physically recoiled at the sight of her scarred face.

Rick sensed the woman’s horror and disgust, so he snapped his eyes open and looked at them.

"I can get the money tomorrow, if you could give me the time..." She glanced at Elliot then back to her. "_Please._"

The woman glared at her and scoffed. “I don’t see how you could get any money, but alright. I’ll humor you. You have exactly twenty-four hours.” She said smugly. It was clear she didn’t think Emery would succeed.

A low growl erupted from Rick’s throat and stood up quickly before walking to the doors of the bank. He needed air. The second he took a step towards the doors though, the glass shattered and he ducked down on instinct. He was aware of the suffocating panic everyone was emitting as they tried to run, but a few more rounds of bullets caused them all to freeze. Rick looked up from his crouching position and spotted four men, and a woman. They were all clothed and masked similarly and holding identical automatic rifles.

Emerson and Emery got down as well as they went with him. Emery looked up. "Great, a bunch of bozo criminals." She rolled her eyes. 

Emerson elbowed her lightly. "_Shush!_"

Rick, meanwhile, was taking deep slow breaths. The buzz in his veins had turned to a burning, and he was scared of losing it. Elliot and him had run into Emery and Emerson when they had been digging in their trash for something edible. The old man, bless his golden soul, had immediately brought them in and fed them properly. They had been with them for about four months now, but neither of them knew about Rick and Elliot’s past. Rick had planned on keeping it that way, but…

One of the masked men pointed his rifle at the woman who had basically sent Elliot to tears. “Give us the money or else.” He growled with a low voice as he threw a cloth sack at her.

The woman, God she was an idiot, just glared defiantly at him and shook her head. “I will never take orders from _scum_ like you.”

Rick’s eyes wandered to Elliot, the old man was cowering right below the counter. He suddenly stood on his feet as the masked man grabbed Elliot by the hair and pointed his gun at him. Rick could sense his devotion. He was going to pull the trigger.

Emerson began to speak. "I got th-" 

Emery interrupted her brother as she stood up. "Hey, assholes! Over here!" They looked at her, confused yet they kept their tough act. 

"You idiot! What are you doing?!" Emerson whispered.

Rick looked at her too, bewildered.

“Get back on the ground you two, or this old man’s brains decorate the floor.” The masked man said gruffly, but yet calmly.

"Yeah! What's with the mask, kid?" One asked. She laughed. "You don't want to know, anyway you threaten that old man, you deal with ME!" Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as her form started to change. The criminal near her backed away in fear. "Emery, don't!" Elliot yelled. "I see one of you are scared of snakes." She giggled as she turned into a giant snake.

“Fuck! She’s a mutant!” The man closest to Emery starts firing his rifle in panic.

She swiftly manages to dodge them and knocked the man away with her tail, making him hit the wall and pass out. She slithers to the man holding Elliot and pulled him off the old man. The others ran off in fear. Emery held the remaining criminal and stared directly in his eyes. "Not so tough now, huh? You're really despicable to prey on an elderly man...not that I'm any different." She snickered.

“E-Emery _st-stop!_” Rick jumped up and ran to her. “We have to go!” He looks outside as he hears sirens. “C-come on. He isn’t w-w-worth it!” The raven snapped as he helped Elliot to his feet.

She scoffed then threw him out the window. "What about the money?" She asked as she turned back to normal. Emerson grabbed her arm. "We'll get it later!"

“Let’s g-g-go through the va-vault!” Rick said as he lead Elliot behind the counter. He pointedly ignored the twin’s confused and disbelieving stares. “You t-two c-coming? Or d-do you want th-the police to ca-catch you!?” 

The twins looked at each other and followed. "What are you doing?" Elliot asked.

“Pr-protecting the-them. Just like y-you pro-protected me.” Rick answered. Once they got to the vault door, raven took a deep breath and held his hand out to it.He closed his eyes and grimaced as the burning in his veins grew. The locks on the vault door and disengaged and swung open in a matter of seconds. “C-cmon.” Rick ordered as he lead them all inside. “Close the d-door.”

Emerson closed the door. "Why are we hiding in here?" He asked.

"We're n-not." Rick said as he helped Elliot sit down. "Th-this bank was or-originally some so-sort of store. If th-those assholes had been sm-smart enough to do their re-research, then they w-would've known th-that the back w-wall of the vault is just solid c-c-concrete." He stared at the far wall and took more deep breaths. he raised his fist as if to punch someone and thrust it towards the wall. The wall collapsed and broke as if someone with immense strength had punched it, and it left a large hole for them all to climb out of. Rick stumbled a bit and held his head with a groan. He swore he could feel something warm and wet coming from his nose.

"Rick, your nose is bleeding. Please be more careful." Elliot said. Emery went through the hole.

“I-I’m fine… le-let’s go.” Rick helped Elliot up and they followed the twins out of the vault. They ended up in an alleyway.

Emery watched as the police cars drove by. "What now?" She asked.

“J-Just get to the h-house.” Rick snapped as he stumbled and nearly fell. He had nearly dragged Elliot down with him. “Da-dammit…”

Emerson ran to him and helped him up. "You're weak...let me help you." He said as Emery held onto Elliot's other arm.

Rick nodded and allowed Emery to take Elliot as Emerson helped support him. “We-we are so _f-f-f-fucked_…” The raven groaned as they ran from the bank.


	2. Chapter 2

“Sir. Sir?” All the AI got was the continuation of the loud music his creator liked to listen to when working. “_Sir!_”

Tony looked up from what he was doing and shut off his music. “Yeah, Jarvis?

“I believe I have something of interest to you.” Jarvis switched on one of Tony’s screens and flipped to the news. It was covering the recent bank robbery. "Ten minutes ago, a group came in and terrorized the people inside of the Bank of America. However, a young woman in a mask came in and defended an old man by turning into a giant snake! The girl, the old man and two other bystanders ran away before the police arrived."

Tony stared at the camera footage and whistled. “Damm… ok, so she’s a mutant of some sort. Why isn’t there any other camera footage?”

"The cameras had stopped working for a few seconds and didn't catch who the girl nor the bystanders are. Fortunately, a witness believes the old man to be Elliot Jade." The tv showed a photo of him.

Tony Stark hummed in thought. “Who is he?”

Jarvis switched the screen to a file with his information on it. "He currently has three other people living in his house. Perhaps one of them is the girl."

Tony looks at the info and hums. “Jarvis, I’m going out. If the other Avengers ask where I am, just make up an excuse for me.” He said as he got up from his workbench.

"Very well, Sir." Jarvis said as Tony looked over at all of his Iron Man suits a moment and he considered. He then just shrugged and grabbed his shades before heading to his garage. Thankfully, he didn't run into any of the other Avengers.

******

"You could've gotten killed and I told you not to use your powers in public." Elliot said to Emery as she checked him and Rick for wounds. 

"But you were going to _die!_ I had no choice!" Emery said.

Rick grunted as he tried to stay awake, using his powers always drained him. “W-we both were tr-trying to help… though m-maybe you c-could’ve done something a b-bit more… subtle…”

"I'm not subtle. I act on my instincts and it gets the job done." Emery argued.

“Y-You’re instincts c-could get y-you killed one d-day…” Rick muttered as he started to drift off again.

"Well maybe it would, but do I care? No." She replied as Emerson came in with more ice packs. 

"Is everything alright?" 

"I'm fine, Emerson." She said.

No response came from Rick as he finally passed out on the couch.

"_Rick!_" Emery goes to him. 

"Don't worry, he just needs rest, that's all." Elliot reassured.

******

A few hours later, Rick slowly blinked his eyes and stared at the living room ceiling. Someone had thrown a blanket over him as he slept. The raven let out a groan as he slowly sat up. He looked around and blinked in surprise at the empty house. “What…” Rick mumbled as he stood up and wandered into the kitchen. He went to the fridge and read a note that Elliot and the twins had left him.

_‘We went to see Mr. Stark. A friend of his is waiting for you outside to bring you to us.’_ -Elliot

Rick took the note down and blinked as he re-read it. Five times. He took a breath and sighed. Had he really slept through Tony _fucking_ Stark coming to his house and talking to his ragtag family? Yeah, ok. He could believe that. The raven did tend to sleep for hours after using his power, and _nothing_ in the world could wake him up until he was ready.

About five minutes later, Rick walked out of the old house to see a sleek black car waiting in the driveway next to Elliot’s old beat up truck. 

The window of the car rolled down to reveal a long blond haired man. "Greetings, you are Rick correct?" The man asked.

Rick blinked a few times at the fucking _Norse god of thunder_ and nodded. “Uh, y-yeah…”

“Perfect, I am Thor! Come along young Rick, your family is waiting for you.” He said with a smile.

Rick fumbled with the door handle a moment before finally managing to slip into the backseat. He took notice that Thor wasn’t the one driving. Instead, another man sat there, looking a little bored.

The man glanced up at him through the rearview mirror. “Happy.”

Rick blinked stupidly a few times. “What?”

“My name.” The man, Happy, said with a sigh as he started the car.

“O-Oh…” The young raven mumbled as he went silent.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Thor looked over at Rick. "That young girl, Emery, is your sister, correct?"

Rick paused to ponder the question. “W-well, we o-only met a few mo-months ago… b-but I guess I c-consider her m-my sister.”

"I figured as much." He replied. 

The two continued to chat until they arrived at their destination. Thor was very easy to engage a conversation with, it seemed. Happy on the other hand, seemed perfectly content with staying silent as he drove. 

Rick looked up at Avengers Tower and felt a whole new buzz to his nerves. “Fucking anxiety…” He grumbled as he opened his locket with a snap.

Thor and Happy got out. "Come along, young Rick." He said with a friendly smile and walked in.

Happy motioned for Rick to go in first, and the raven snapped his locket shut before following the blonde god. The other man walked behind Rick, and he couldn’t shake the feeling of being a prisoner. A memory flashed in his mind, but he forced it down before he could even register it.

They all went up to where the twins, Elliot and Tony were. Emery was staring outside as Elliot and Tony spoke. 

Rick, happy to see familiar faces, quickly walked to the twins and sat down next to Emerson on the very comfy, and most likely very expensive, couch. A quick look around told the raven that they were in a living room of some sort. If most living rooms had a bar and kitchen attached to it. Rick tapped his foot a bit rapidly as his nerves kept buzzing, though being next to his ‘brother’ seemed to help.

"Listen, Mr. Stark. These kids are not usually so violent and what happened was purely out of defence. I truly apologize for Emery's outburst, she doesn't do crime anymore if that's why you asked us to come here." Elliot said nervously.

Tony looked up at Elliot from his StarkPad and smiled. “I know. Trust me, if I had brought you here because I was worried you were harboring a dangerous criminal, then the drive here would have been a lot less pleasant.” His gaze flicked over to Rick as he sat down before going to look back down at his StarkPad. “Says here you’re about to lose your house due to rent troubles.”

"Yes. We went to the bank because Emery claimed she had the money to pay for it." Elliot explained.

The billionaire raised a brow at that. “She doesn’t have a job.” He pointed out. “How did you expect her to pay?”

Elliot looked at her and Emery just smiled bitterly, though they couldn’t see it under her mask. "My egg donor." 

Emerson stiffened at this. "Emery, don't call our mom that!"

Rick looked at the twins in confusion. He hardly knew anything about their past since they never really talked about it. Elliot hadn’t asked and neither had he. They weren’t nosy people. Then again, the twins knew nothing about Rick’s past, and he was dead set on keeping it that way. 

“So, I’m guessing you’re not a big fan of your mom?” Tony asked Emery as he kept his eyes trained on his StarkPad.

"She's the reason I wear this mask." She replied. 

Emerson shifted uncomfortably.

Tony finally set down the pad and hummed a bit. “Well, you’re welcome to stay here.”

Rick snapped his head up and stared at Tony with wide eyes. “C-Come again?”

“You can stay. As in live here.” Tony replied with a hint of amusement at the younger man’s reaction.

Emery raised a brow. "Why?"

"Do I really need a reason to?" Tony asked. "I have more than enough space, even with the other Avengers living here." He shrugged. "Besides, you attacked someone with your powers. Now even though it was self defence, the police aren't fond of mutants. So it's either crash with the Avengers, or crash in the Icebox. Your choice." Tony said giving Emery a level gaze.

Emerson sighed. "I'm sorry about my sister she...doesn’t warm up to others very quickly." He explained, gesturing to her. "She tends to be distant from new people."

Tony just shrugged. "No biggie. Just think it over. I can even go ahead and take care of your money problems. Whether or not you stay."

Elliot looked at the twins who nodded. He looked at Rick. "What do you think?"

Rick blinked at him. “Uh, yeah?” He said like it was obvious.

Tony laughed. “Great, now we’re all one big happy family. Jarvis, give them full access to the tower.”

"Of course. Emery and Emerson Sauer and Rick and Elliot Jade now have access to the Tower." The AI said. 

Emerson blinked. "You know our last names?"

Tony scoffs. “Cmon, give me a _little_ credit. I’m not gonna invite some random people into my tower without doing research first.” He paused. “Couldn’t find much on Rick and Elliot though.”

Said raven tensed.

Emerson put and hand on his shoulder as if to try to calm him down. "I suppose that makes sense."

Tony nods a bit before smiling. “Go ahead and follow Happy. He’ll show you to the living section of the tower. You may run into a few other Avengers along the way, don’t let them intimidate you.”

“I-I already m-met Thor…” Rick mumbled.

The four got up and followed Happy. "_You lucky bastard._" Emery said to Rick with a chuckle.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter in a single day!
> 
> I am proud of myself and my friend!

It didn’t take long to ride the elevator up to the living section, though it felt like an eternity to Rick as Happy was standing in the middle of him and the others.

Emery quickly got out and looked around when the doors opened. Emerson stayed near Elliot.

Rick looked around and wandered into a large kitchen with Emery as Emerson and Elliot lagged behind. The raven glanced at Happy, who seemed adamant on keeping an eye on him. That made Rick nervous, so he popped open his locket. Rick frowned at this, he really relied on the golden trinket too much.

"Man, this place is really neat!" Emery exclaimed as she admired her surroundings. 

Elliot smiled as it's rare to see her so happy. "Yes, it's very nice."

“W-Well, it d-does belong to a b-b-billionaire…” Rick pointed out quietly as he listened to his locket’s tune.

"It's not everyday we see these kinds of things." Elliot said.

“T-true…” Rick mumbled as he snapped his locket closed. After awhile, he got bored and noticed that Happy was distracted on his phone. He took this moment to slip away and go looking around on his own.

Emery noticed but decided not to say anything. 'He can take care of himself.' She thought.

Rick managed to find himself in a large empty room, thought he thing that was off putting to him was the fact that the floor, walls, and even the ceiling were all white. He shuddered and fought back a memory as he turned to leave, but froze as the door slid shut. “Fuck…” The raven went to the door and debated on using his powers, when he heard a whirring behind him. He turned and narrowly dodged an attack that came from a training bot.

A voice rang out and a brunette ran in through the now open door. "Wait stop! He's not training with us!" Bruce yelled.

The bot seemed adamant on ignoring the doctor as he kept attacking Rick. The next thing Bruce knew, the bot was being smashed into one of the walls by an invisible force. One glance and he knew how. Rick had his arm extended towards the bot with his palm flat. His nose was also bleeding. Again.

This caused Bruce to stop in his tracks and stare at the raven with wide eyes.

Something was wrong. A look of pure terror was seen in Rick's eyes through his glasses as he began to repeatedly slam the bot into the wall. He kept this up until the damned machine stopped moving. The damaged bot dropped to the ground and Rick slid down one of the walls and fumbled with his locket desperately. He was having a panic attack.

The doctor quickly went to him and noticed this, so he opened the locket for him. Bruce looked up at Rick as the music played.

Slowly, Rick’s breathing slowed and became even. He blinked away tears and finally focused on Bruce. The raven stared at him for a moment before giving him a shaky smile. “H-Hi… I’m R-Rick.” He gingerly touched his nose and sighed as he felt the blood there.

"Are you alright, Rick?" Bruce asked softly.

“Uh… w-well...I haven’t had a p-panic attack l-like th-that in a l-long time… o-other then that, I-I’m good…” Rick mumbled as he wiped at his nose with his sleeve.

"You're the kid Thor told us about, aren't you?" Bruce asked.

Rick blinked and took in a soft exasperated breath. “I-I’m t-twenty one… N-not a k-kid…” He mumbled softly. “B-but yeah… I-I guess?”

"Oh, I'm sorry." Bruce smiled sheepishly as he stood up. "Is there anything you need?

“N-no… just… _st-stay?_” Rick whimpered.

"Of course." Bruce sat beside him.

Rick was usually a bit clingy after having panic attacks, so he just rested his head on Bruce's shoulder and sniffed as he listened to his locket on repeat.

Bruce looked at him and smiled softly.

After a moment, Rick sniffed heavily and snapped his locket shut before standing a bit shakily. “O-Ok.. I’m g-good…”

"Alright." Bruce replied and stood up. "Would you like to meet the others?"

Rick gives the doctor a shaky smile and thumbs up. “Yep.” He paused. “Uh… w-would you m-mind… n-not telling the o-others about my p-powers?”

"Of course, but why don't you want them to know?" He asked curiously.

The raven looked up at Bruce and bit his lip. He didn’t know why he felt so at ease with the doctor. “I… d-don’t exactly have a-a great p-past…” He decided on mumbling.

"Some of us don't either, I understand." Bruce said with a smile.

Rick gave Bruce his most genuine smile yet. “L-Let’s go th-then!” He said excitedly.

He chuckled. "Follow me, Rick." He started to lead him away.

The raven followed Bruce excitedly, and yet still anxious. As usual, his mind began to riddle him with bad thoughts. _‘What if they don’t like me?’ ‘What if I embarrass myself?’ ‘What if they find out about-’_ Rick violently shook his head to stop that last thought from going any further.

As the two men got to the rest of the avengers Rick knew he was in for a lecture. Elliot and the others had already arrived and the old man looked at him with a mixture of relief and anger. "Rick! _There_ you are!" He exclaimed. "What happened?"

“I-I got bored… a-and then l-lost…” Rick mumbled sheepishly.

Emery went to him and flicked his nose. "You doofus, you could've gotten killed!"

Rick nearly mentioned how he almost did, but decided against it. “In A-Avengers Tower?” He asked while giving Emery an exasperated look.

"Okay, maybe I'm overreacting but we don't know what this place does!" Emery insisted.

The raven just rolled his eyes and shook his head. It was then he noticed the Avengers were watching them with amused expressions. Rick just chose to flush in embarrassment and fiddled with his locket nervously. There goes the buzzing in his nerves again.

"Greetings, Young Emery, I am Thor. Pleasure to meet you! Your brother, Rick, has told me a lot about you." The blond god said to her, holding out his hand. She shook it. "Nice to meet you too. Rick isn't really my brother, but I consider him as one. My twin brother is over there however."

Natasha, or Black Widow, gave them uncertain looks as Sam, the Falcon, walked up with a smile.

"So, you the one the news has been talking about?" He asked. She nodded. "Uh-huh. I took them out by myself."

Rick rolled his eyes at Emery's bragging and smiled softly.

"You almost died in the middle of it." Emerson said to his sister. 

"You're just mad because I'm a badass, and you've already accomplish everything! Let me have this victory, Brother." Emery said calmly, then she put him in a head lock and ruffled his hair. 

Emerson shook his head and chuckled. He has been getting surprised by her, she used to hate his guts, but since Elliot came into their lives, she was more like her old self.

Sam smiled. "These two are like you and Loki." He said to Thor, who chuckled and nodded.

Rick let his gaze wander to the last three. Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America. Hawkeye seemed bored as he scrolled through his phone, Widow still kept her uncertain gaze- though it seemed to have softened a bit- and Cap was smiling kindly as he watched the twins. Ok, damn. They were all better looking up close. Rick felt himself blush more as he realized this. Great time for all of his fondness towards the heroes to peak. He had always looked up to them, even believed he could be a part of the Avengers somehow. Though his usual ‘run from anything that could be dangerous’ instinct made him doubt that. He wasn’t one to put himself in danger for no reason.

The raven ran a hand through his curly hair nervously as his fingers rubbed at his locket. He was slightly aware of Bruce still standing behind him, almost protectively.

"You four do know us, do you?" Bruce asked. 

Elliot nodded. 

"Then I suppose telling you who the public know each of us as is pointless." 

Emery nodded. "Right...so who's Loki?" She asked.

“Thor’s brother.” Tony said as he walked into the room. “He lives here with us, though you can never find the guy unless he wants you to find him, so good luck trying to meet him.” He said with a smirk.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “He’s probably in his room reading on his StarkPad like he usually does. It’s best not to bother him. Alright?” She looked at the four newcomers.

"Ah, I thought I heard that name before." Emery said. 

"Apologies for questioning but, why do you wear that on your face?" Thor asked. 

"My mask? It's to cover the bad stuff." Emery replied.

In complete unison her family gave her disapproving frowns. “You kn-know that’s n-not tr-true…” Rick mumbled as he ignored the surprised looks most of the Avengers were giving him. It had been the first thing he said since walking into the room.

She lifted her mask to show her lips and smiled as she turned to him. "These are bad."

"N-not as bad a-as you th-think..." Rick said with a deeper frown.

The Avengers didn't like that, seeing Rick frown.

"Of course it is, I've looked like this for years..because of her." She replied. 

Elliot put a hand on Rick's shoulder. "It's best not to argue with her about her face."

Rick went quiet at this. He knew that, but he still felt he had to try. The raven thought Emery looked fine, but any time the subject was brought up he could always feel her deep hatred and her even deeper, heart wrenching sadness.

He pats his shoulder. "You try, Rick. But she’ll be dealing with her problems on her own for awhile okay?"

Rick just nodded silently, clearly upset.

Emerson frowned as he watch Emery happily go to a window and stare out.

Hawkeye, Clint, finally looked from his phone. “You guys got issues.” This was followed by a yelp as Natasha hit him over the back of the head.


	4. Chapter 4

The sound of tapping annoyed her as she drummed her fingers on her desk, granted she could stop any time but didn't feel inclined to. She stared at the files of her son and the two other kids they had 'improved' and sneered. That damned traitor, he just had to go all soft and break him out didn't he? Just as they were about to make the sale too.

"Hey, Hun. Guess what was on the news today." A man said.

The woman glanced at her husband with a cold glare. “It better be something worth my time, Raymond.”

He showed the news clip about the bank robbery. "Does the mutant sound familiar to you?"

She perks up as her cold eyes watch the film. “Oh my…” The woman smirked wickedly as she chuckles. “It seems we found our missing property dear. Now, it’s time to go retrieve it. Send our son’s sister.”

"Should we get those twins for Mr. Sauer too?" He asked.

“Oh we will grab them, but if he wants them then he’s going to have to go through the bidding process. Just like everyone else.” The woman said as she studied the files she had been staring at earlier. She then pulled one out from the others and opened it. The photo inside was of a little girl, probably no older than seven. “Our daughter’s strength should be able to contain them quite easily, and with the brainwashing tricks we picked up from HYDRA?” She chuckled darkly. “She’ll be perfect.”

The man chuckled. "Very well, then."

“Tell the doctors to go get her ready. Now.” The woman ordered as she stared at the photo.

******

Rick sighed as he stared into the mirror of his bathroom. He had his locket open and continuously playing as he had an inner turmoil. “Sh-should I tell th-them I have p-powers?” The raven called out to his bedroom where his ‘siblings’ were sitting.

"There's no reason not to." Emerson said.

The raven groaned and stepped out of his bathroom. "Y-yeah but... damnit, I'm sc-sc-scared..." He mumbled. "The p-people who gave m-me these powers o-only ever used th-them for their own g-gains... m-my own parents... th-th-th-they... fuck, they were g-g-gonna sell me..."

"It's not like that anymore. Those powers are yours to use however you want, now." Emery said. "Don't forget the same thing happened to us."

Rick sighed and rubbed his hands together nervously. “R-right… sorry…” He suddenly gets an idea. “Hey what if… w-what if we… what if w-we asked them to b-become o-our mentors? W-we c-could become tr-trainees!” The raven smiled at the idea.

Emerson smiled. "That's a great idea." 

Emery raised an eyebrow. "Me? A hero?"

“W-why not?” Rick asked her. “I think y-you’d make a-a great he-hero!” The raven said smiling like a child. He was clearly excited.

"Hero stuff is just not my thing, Rick…I only did one good thing" Emery mumbled. 

Emerson frowned.

“Th-that doesn’t matter!” Rick goes to Emery and takes her hands in his. “Even if y-you did only one g-good thing. That j-just means you c-can do e-even more!”

"Rick..." She mumbled. "You don't get it, do you?"

“E-Emery…” The raven paused and considered his words. “Th-the three of us w-were made to b-be monsters… don’t… d-d-don’t let th-that control you. P-prove them wrong!” Rick grabs her shoulders tightly and gives her the most pleading look he can muster. “D-don’t be a m-monster.”

She took his hands off her shoulders and got up. "No.." She walked away. Emerson sighed and rested his head in his hands.

Rick just clenched his fists and snapped. “F-fine then! I should’ve kn-known you’d let y-your parents ha-have their w-way w-with you!” He then held his breath as he waited for her reaction. The raven was walking on thin ice now and he knew it, but this was usually the only way to get through to Emery.

"You don't know anything about my past!" She yelled as she turned to him. "Don't you dare make assumptions about me because I don't do that to you. You can't just make someone a hero by emotional manipulation, it doesn't make you a hero!"

“At l-least I’m willing t-t-to try!” Rick yelled back. “I-I’m tr-trying to be a g-good person! I’m tr-trying to put m-my past behind m-me! I’m a-always scared! Scared th-that my p-parents will f-find me and then p-put me b-back in th-that cell! Sc-scared that they’ll hu-hurt E-Elliot! Scared th-that they’ll t-take you t-two and do th-the exact s-same thing th-they d-di to m-me! I-I can’t go anywhere w-without someone, or else I’ll h-have panic a-attacks! I-I barely g-get any sleep at n-night, and I just… I j-j-just.” He pauses as he realizes he’s been crying. “... I d-don’t want you t-to go b-back to being a bad p-person…”

She turns to him with a cold, yet hurt glare. "How dare you assume I plan to be a bad person again? You really think that lowly of me? How fucking dare you?!" She shouted before storming to her new room and slamming the door.

Rick didn’t miss a beat and turned to Emerson. “G-g-get out.” He said thickly as he clutched his locket like a lifeline. Once he left, Rick closed his door and the practically collapsed onto his bed as he struggled to reopen his locket. He let out a cry of frustration when he couldn't and proceeded to throw it across the room.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Rick? Is everything ok?" Elliot asked.

The raven remained quiet as he silently sobbed into his pillows.

Elliot silently came in and took the locket from the floor, before he opened it.

Rick heard the tune and relaxed a bit. He regretted throwing the locket and was terrified he had broken it. Though the small wave of relief was quickly overpowered by his guilt and sorrow at what he had done to Emery. 

He was just one big monumental screw up…

Elliot went over to him and spoke in a soft tone. "Care to explain what happened?"

“I f-f-fucked up.” Was the response Rick gave Elliot. After that, he refused to speak.

******

The one thing Rick was good at, was hiding. That had been clear when Elliot first took him in. Anytime Rick did something that made him think he would get in trouble, he would hide. This always sent Elliot into a worried tisy as he would tear apart the house to find him. After a while though, he got used to it and learned what Rick’s favorite hiding spots were. Under beds, in closets, basically anywhere dark and quiet. Now that the raven was grown, he had gotten out of that habit. Though sometimes it still showed. Like now.

Rick refused to leave his room, much to Elliot’s and Ermerson’s dismay. He even locked it so his family couldn’t get in and bother him. The Avengers had no clue why Rick had suddenly become so sad. Though with the way Emery acted as though she didn’t even know the raven, they could guess she was part of the reason.

Said girl was staying in her room as well to avoid causing more problems because she never learned how to solve problems without violence and throwing a fit. She stared outside with her mask off and let out an annoyed sigh.

Tony, despite better judgement, finally decided to use Jarvis to see if Rick was alright. It was then he learned that the cameras installed in his room had been deactivated. Had been for awhile. This caused him to worry, and he had even told the other Avengers about his concerns.

"Maybe it'd be better to just leave those two alone for awhile." Sam suggested. "As much as I'm worried, we should let them solve whatever's going on." He explained to Tony.

Tony huffed. “It’s been a week, Sam. I don’t think this is something they can solve quickly. Rick has barely even eaten anything we leave him.”

"We should check on Rick. No one will be able to get through Emery without some kind of trouble. Trust me I tried." Emerson said.

As Elliot, Emerson and the Avengers discussed what to do, a tall figure walked away from where they had been standing and listening.

A few minutes later, there was a soft knocking on Emery’s door.

Emery glared at the door, thinking it was Emerson again as he kept bugging her for the past few hours. She put on her mask and went to the door. She opened it, getting ready to tell her brother off, but she froze when she realized it wasn't him. "Oh..."

Loki stood there with his hand poised to knock again. He blinked down at Emery and dropped his hand as he crossed his arms. The God of Mischief seemed to be studying her as he eyed her up and down a few times. “You’re Emery. Correct?”

"Yes. You're Loki, the famous God of Mischief I've heard so much about?" She asked.

Loki nods. “Yes, though ‘infamous’ would be a more accurate term.”

"I suppose that's true, but you're not exactly a villain anymore. So anyways, is there anything you need?" Emery asked, tilting her head.

The god seemed to contemplate her a moment before sighing. “It’s no secret that you and your brother Rick have had a quarrel. I’m curious as to know why.” He said, getting straight to the point.

"He's not really my brother but, he tried to convince me to try and become a hero. When I told him that I didn't want to he had the audacity to suggest that I wanted to be a bad person again." She explained rather calmly although the annoyance and anger of the situation wasn't fully contained.

Loki rolls his eyes and smiles wistfully. “Of course… the same thing happened with me and my brother. It took me awhile to realize he meant well, though the damn oaf wouldn’t know subtlety if it hit him in the face.” He said fondly.

She snickered. "Sounds like my twin brother, Emerson. He may be empathetic but he really doesn't understand that bugging me will make me feel any better."

The god tilts his head and gives her an amused smile before frowning. “Have you talked to Rick yet?”

"No, nor do I want to. The kid's been in his room this whole time." Emery replied.

“That, Emery, is what everyone else is worried about.” Loki said pointedly. “It has been a week and no has seen hide nor hair of Rick. They leave food for him outside of his room, but when they go to check on him they find the food hasn't even been touched or barley eaten. He has locked his door and overridden it so no can open it but him, and it turns out the cameras in his room have all been deactivated. Stark can’t even check to see if he’s alive and well.”

She frowned and sighed sadly. "Na ja, scheiß drauf." She muttered in German. "Alright, I'll go talk to him and see if I can try to make things better."

Loki nods at this and steps aside. “Good… Be gentle… From what I’ve gathered, he’s torn up over what he said to you.”

"I wouldn't do this any other way." She replied as she went over to Rick's door. She sighed and knocked on it. "Rick? You okay in there?" No sound came from the other side of the door. It was eerily silent. She sighed and tried to open the door. "Locked, right… Rick, answer the door! I want to talk." Still nothing but silence. Emery grew concerned and ended up breaking the lock by repeatedly kicking it. She opened the door and looked around. It seemed the cameras weren’t the only things in the room that had been deactivated. All the lights were off, the curtains were closed, and Rick’s locket was playing its tune from the bed. Emery went to the curtains and opened them. "Look, I'm sorry that I got angry with you… Rick?" She looked over at the bed.

No answer came from him, just more silence. A pill bottle that Rick would take for his anxiety stood opened on the nightstand.

Emery stared at it in horror and looked around. "Rick?!"

The bathroom door suddenly opened and Rick walked out. One of his fists was clenched and he was crying. “I-I-I’m so-so-sorry…” He choked out.

She teared up and ran to him, hugging him tightly. "No, I shouldn't have gotten angry."

“I-I shouldn’t h-have said th-those things t-to you!” Rick snapped as he wrenched himself away from her. “I-I sh-sh-shouldn’t ha-have p-pushed you!”

"Rick..." Emery sighed. "I should've explained why I don't want to be a hero...you deserve it."

The raven looked at her and sniffled. “W-Why then?”

Emery sat down on the bed. "Well, me and Emerson used to live happily in Germany and after we moved here...things took a turn." She said. Unbeknownst to the two, Emerson, Elliot as well as many of the Avengers were outside, listening.

Rick sat next to her and grabbed his pill bottle, only to unclench his fist and dump all his pills back into the container. It seemed he was pretty close to trying to kill himself. He refused to look at Emery as he did this and just chose to listen.

"My father met these...people and started working in the lab. He brought me and Emerson there once, I don't remember anything but we got powers. After that, our parents divorced and...." She paused as she teared up. "N-no mater how good I am, my mom hated me...I don't understand why me in particular! Emerson was treated kindly and was loved, but she hurt me and threw out of a window!" She took off her mask as she sobbed. "That's how I got these scars."

The raven looked up and frowned as he stared at her. “That’s wh-why you hate her…”

She looked up at him and nodded. "I killed her, Rick...right after I could fully control my powers. Then, I ran away, joined a gang." She smiled fondly at the memories of her old friends. "I still miss the other members. They were a riot." She giggled. 

Emerson frowned and walked away, not wanting to hear more. 

"My brother eventually found me and kept using his powers to tame me...try an make me 'good' again." Emery growled. "I get that he's trying to help but I hate it when he just keeps using them on me. All. The. Time."

Rick thought about this. “Y-you felt like I w-was acting l-like Emerson… d-didn’t you?”

She wiped her tears. "Mmhm. He never listens to me...I hate it, but I don't hate him. I envy him but not enough to hurt him...yet." She muttered.

“I-I’m sorry… I-I won’t d-do it a-again.” Rick said quietly. “But for wh-what it’s w-worth, I-I do th-think you c-could be a g-great hero.”

"Maybe I will but...not now." She said. "Besides, I'm still scared of heights and stay a few feet away from windows." She chuckled.

Rick snickered and hugged her. “Try having c-c-constant anxiety… It is n-not fun...”

"I know...you could always have Spades as comfort."

Rick nods. "Yeah... I-I guess..." He sniffed and wiped at his eyes. "G-God... we are j-just... a mess." The raven chuckled.

Emery snickered. "Yeah, so what are we going to tell the eavesdroppers outside?" She asked, gesturing to outside the room.

The raven just shrugged. “Th-they already h-heard everything.” He said smiling. Just then, all the lights reactivated in his room. “Oops… w-was I d-doing that?”

"Yep, the cameras too." Emery said. 

Elliot poked his head in the room. "Are you two okay now?"

Rick nods and smiles. “W-we’re good Elliot.”

"Good, now come and eat. For our sakes." He said with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

A month has passed since the Elliot and the mutants began living with the Avengers, and a month has passed since Rick became a trainee. Emerson had decided he didn’t want to be an Avenger unless Emery did, so Rick had to become one alone. He didn’t seem to mind all that much, and took his position seriously. The Avengers hadn’t been all too surprised when Rick told them he had powers, and were even helping him learn how to use them without getting exhausted. 

Emerson seemed to have slightly changed since then. He's been a bit wary of Emery, keeping an eye on her. It was clear he didn't trust her to become a good person in general. 

Emery seemed to be fine and her fear of windows seemed to be less intense.

Rick was in the middle of a training course with Natasha when they were interrupted by Tony’s voice coming through the speakers. “Avengers, come to the comm room. That includes you Rick.”

Said raven blinked in surprise and quickly followed Natasha out of the training room.

Once everyone was there, Steve spoke up. “What is it Tony?”

Stark smiled a bit. “We have guests.” He brought up a holoscreen and the face of Peter Quill appeared on it. “Starlord and his team tracked down an intergalactic criminal here to Earth, or ‘Terra’, and requested to stay in the tower until they find him.”

Quill waved a bit. “Hey guys. Jeez, how long has it been?”

Bruce smiled. "It's been months since we last saw you." He looked over at Rick. "You'll like them, although they are a bit...chaotic." He explained.

“Hey! We heard that, Banner!” A voice offscreen suddenly snapped.

“I am Groot.”

“I don’t care if it’s true, It’s still offending!”

Rick blinked in confusion as Quill face-palmed.

Bruce chuckled. "Anyway, we have a few people that you should all meet, including our trainee." 

"And a canine!" Thor shouted. 

"Yeah, and a dog."

Quill smiled. “We’re all looking forward to it. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” 

"Alright then." Bruce replied. 

“Oh! Uh, we actually have four new people on our team!” Quill said with a smile.

Tony raised a brow. “Really, who?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see.” Quill said right before he cut the transmission.

Sam smiled. "I have a few hunches of who they could be." 

******

A few minutes later, the Guardians' ship was landing on one of the many landing pads on the tower. The second the ramp lowered, Rocket ran out chasing an excited baby groot. “Come here you little!” He managed to catch groot and hold him.

“I am Groot!” The little tree yelled in excitement as the Avengers and Rick’s family walked out to the landing pad.

Emery's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of Groot. "Oh my god, how cute!" Emerson seemed more concerned about the strange critters. 

Gamora and Drax stepped off the ship with others behind and studied each of the family members. "These are the people you wanted us to meet?" The green skinned woman asked.

“I’m not impressed.” Nebula said dryly as Groot managed to wiggle out of Rocket’s grip and run to Emery.

She kneeled down with a smile. "Hello there, Groot." 

"Why does the girl have a silver face?" Drax asked. 

"That's a mask, Drax." Kraglin said.

Emery snickered after picking Groot up. "I made it myself." 

“Well it’s damn cool that’s for sure!” Yondu said with a smile and impressed nod.

Quill smiled and shook his head fondly. “Don’t start asking to barter for it, Yondu.”

Rick was watching this exchange a bit nervously. He'd gotten a lot better at controlling his powers though, and has been barely using his locket the past month.

"Everyone, this is Rick, our newest trainee." Bruce said. "This is Emery, her twin brother Emerson, and their guardian, Elliot."

The raven waved a bit awkwardly and smiled. "H-Hi."

“I am Nebula.” The blue skinned cyborg said. “My sister Gamora, Drax, Groot,Quill, Yondu, Kraglin, Mantis, and the racoons is Rocket.

"I am NOT a racoon!" Rocket snapped as he glared at Nebula.

Quill muttered something under his breath that caused Drax to do his signature laugh. This caused Mantis to look at Quill confused. "What is a trash panda?"

"Another word for a raccoon." He replied. 

Nebula rolled her eyes and ignored that small angry creature. "Anyways, we are the Guardians of the Galaxy. It's a pleasure to meet you."

“Y-Yeah, same h-here.” Rick said as his nervousness slowly dissipated.

Tony cleared his throat. “OK, now that the introductions are out of the way and all that, what happened to Groot?”

“Long story.” Quill said simply. 

"He didn't always look like this?" Emery asked. 

"No, he used to be around eight feet tall, maybe taller, as well as strong. Until he died...temporarily." Drax said. 

"Interesting." She looked at the small tree creature and smiled. "How does one as cute and small as you grow so huge and powerful?" 

“I am Groot.” Groot said simply.

"Ah, I see." She said with a giggle. 

******

Later, after everyone had gone back inside and settled, the Guardians told everyone what had happened to them in the past few months. Thor even managed to get Loki to come down to listen and catch up.

Clint let out a low whistle once The Guardians were done explaining how they killed Ego. “Damn… You actually killed a planet?”

"Dang, that must of been rough." Emerson said. 

"Yeah, Yondu almost died too." Kraglin said. 

Yondu scoffed. “Wasn’t the first time, and it sure as Hell won’t be the last.” He said with a smile.

"Damn, that's quite an accomplishment, killing an entire planet. It must of been hard to kill your own father, Quill." Emery said. 

"Not like you would know." Emerson muttered, bitterly as he ignored the glare she gave him.

Quill shrugged. “Not really, you know, once I found out he was the reason my mom got brain cancer it was pretty easy.” He said oblivious to the tension between the twins.

Emery probably thought it was easy to kill Mom too." Emerson muttered, then got smacked upside the head by Loki. 

Emery just shrugged. "Our parents weren't the best either. Mom was worse." She explained. 

“S-Same with m-my parents… only th-they were b-both b-b-bad” Rick said softly as he fiddled with his locket.

Nebula frowned. "I suppose many of us have parent problems." She said as Gamora nodded in agreement.

Rick smiled a bit. “The l-least you c-can do is not l-l-let it co-control you.”

Loki just hummed a bit and ignored the frown Thor gave him at Rick’s statement.

Nebula smiled sadly. "Perhaps."

“... Well this got depressing.” Rocket said simply. This earned him and knock on the back of his head from Gamora.

“I am groot.” Groot said glaring at him.

Rocket glared back as he rubbed his head. “Since when have I cared if something I say is rude?”

"Yeah, it did." Emery snickered. "It's rude but it's true." 

Rick managed to snicker as well. “I-I think it’s a g-gift of m-mine to make th-things depressing.”

Elliot patted his head. "Not for me." He said with a soft smile. 

"So, why are these people staying with you?" Nebula asked Tony. 

The brunette shrugged a bit. “It was either let them live here or have them be put in SHIELD custody or the Icebox. We got a pretty talented trainee out of it, so it was a win-win.”

"So they're mutants?" Kraglin asked. 

“N-not by choice…” Rick said with a sigh. “But y-yeah. We’re m-mutants.”

"What powers do you have?" 

"Well, I can shapeshift based on your fears, but I have to be able to sense some first." Emery explained. "My brother has telekinesis, telepathy and he can feel and change emotions."

“I-I have some of the same p-powers as Emerson. I have t-telekinesis, I’m psychic, I-I can sense your f-feelings and when y-you’re lying, I c-can distort t-technology, and I c-can do this weird th-thing where I-I can sense wh-what you’re th-thinking. Like… I-I can f-feel all you r-reactions to my abilities, but I c-can’t hear y-you.”

"Interesting. None of you were born with these powers, were you?" Nebula asked. 

"Nope. Our father experimented on us." Emery said. 

"She doesn't remember them very well." Emerson said as he gestured to his twin. 

She nodded. "I just remember a fire."

Rick hesitated. He actually had yet to tell the Avengers or the twins the true lengths his parents went with him. “I-I’d… rather not t-talk about it…”

Bruce frowned. "A fire in a lab, that sounds familiar." Bruce said.

“What do you mean?” Natasha asked.

"I remember being told about a guy who experienced the same thing."

Tony slowly nodded. “Yeah, same… wait… was it Deadpool?”

"I think so." He replied. 

"Who’s Deadpool?" Emerson asked. 

“A mercenary. He kills bad guys for money.” Natasha explained. “We’ve run into him a few times.”

"I used to do that at one point, with the gang I was in. Good times..." Emery said with a smile.

“Yes, so you’ve said many times already, Emery.” Loki droned.

She raised an eyebrow with a grin. "Aw, you listen?" 

“Not like I have anything better to do.” He replied with a grin.

She giggled. "I suppose, you're right." 

Thor blinked in shock. He was surprised that his brother would've listened at all, as well as talk to her. The other Avengers were just as shocked, though most of them had a few ideas as to why.

Tony turned to the Guardians. “Anyways… you guys can get settled in. Just ask JARVIS for anything if you need it, alright?” 

Quill nodded along with his crew. “We got it Tony. Thanks again guys.”

******

It didn’t take long for the Guardians to settle in. They all even decided to watch a movie together, and thanks to the many people and very little seating Rick ended up on the floor with Bruce and Nebula on either side of him. They both seemed to have taken an interest in the raven and if the others noticed, they didn’t say anything.

Loki and Emery ended up sitting together in one of the love seats, much to Emerson’s dislike and Thor’s growing confusion. Though quite a few people could see what was happening between the two former villains.

Unbeknownst to the two teams, or anyone really, a shadow of their past was slowly looming over Rick and the twins.


	6. Chapter 6

Days turned into a week and a week turned into a month. The Guardians couldn't seem to locate the convict, but refused to leave Earth until they found him.  
Nebula didn't seem to mind, this just gave her an excuse to talk and hang out with Rick. Bruce caught on to why Nebula was hanging around the raven more and now both were in a small war to try and win his heart. Unfortunately, Rick was clueless to their feelings.

Meanwhile, Loki and Emery where in a slow going relationship, much to Thor's delight and Emerson's growing resentment. Their newly formed relationship didn't stop Rocket from flirting with Emery though. He claimed to be doing it just to mess with the God of Mischief, but Loki was very close to punting him out of one of the many windows in the tower.

It was the middle of the night and Emery was outside, talking on the phone. "I've been waiting for a month. When are you coming?" She paused as she listened. "Really? Are you sure because Emerson wouldn't be happy to see you? ...Alright, Dad. I love you." 

“I am Groot.” 

Emery jumped as she looked at Groot. "Oh my god, you scared me!" She hung up. "What are you doing up here this late at night?" She had her mask off, but was comfortable with him seeing her face. A few others had seen it, including Loki.

Groot tilted his head and pointed to her phone. He seemed undisturbed by her face. “I am Groot?”

"That was just my father. Please don't tell anyone about this, please? I'm not supposed to talk to him." She explained. 

The small tree stared at her a moment with curious eyes before nodding. “I am Groot.”

"Thanks, Groot." She said with a grateful smile. "We should get inside, it's kinda cold." She proceeds to go inside. 

Groot followed behind her and yawned. “I am… Groot…” He mumbled tiredly.

She giggled. "Me too. Goodnight." She pats his head and goes to her room. 

******

Later in the day, Tony was smiling as he had gathered everyone in the living room. “I got news everyone. Professor X’s birthday is tomorrow and we were invited. So pack your bags and get ready to leave in an hour.”

Emery nodded and ran off to her room to pack. "Who's Professor X?" Emerson asked. 

"You really need to explain to them more about the other heroes." Drax said as he walked towards his room. 

Tony rolls his eyes at Drax as JARVIS speaks up. “Professor X, or Xavier is a mutant who can read and control the minds of others. He’s the founder of the X-Men and runs a private school located in Westchester County to both shelter and train mutants from around the world. Xavier also strives to serve a greater good by promoting peace and equality between humans and mutants.” The AI explained.

"Ah. Thank you, Jarvis." The blond said with a smile. 

“Of course Emerson, in fact I believe your family will like the professor.” JARVIS said.

"I sure hope so." He replied then went off to pack along with everyone else. 

******

A few hours later, everyone was hopping out of Tony’s private plane and onto the X-men’s lawn, a few students as well as the teachers were already there to greet them all. The kids were excited to see the heroes, but were curious about all the new faces.

Emery looked around. "Woah, that's a lot of people." She muttered. 

“You’ll be alright.” Loki muttered to her as he gently grabbed her hand.

She softly smiled and slightly gripped on his hand. "I know, I will." 

Rick was actually pretty happy and was answering questions the kids had about him and his powers. He didn’t go too deep into his past though.

Emery also answered whatever questions she was asked, but didn't give full answers to certain ones. Emerson kept his distance from many people.

It was then that the X-Men and Professor X all walked, or rolled in the professor’s case, out into the lawn.

Rick looked at them and smiled as some of the kids swarmed them. He remembered how he idolized heroes like that, hell he still kinda did. The raven was watching as the kids all went for hugs and couldn’t help but snicker at how the Wolverine, Logan, seemed a bit awkward with them.

Logan noticed him and raised an eyebrow. "That's the guy right? The new trainee?" He asked as he looked over at Tony. 

Tony smiles and nods. “Yep, that’s Rick. The kids really seem to like him.” He observed as he picked up a small girl who looked to be part reptile. 

Logan watched him with a small smile. "Yeah, they do." 

Rick maneuvered the girl so she was riding on his shoulders and smiled as the others kids asked for the same. “I-I can o-only do one at a ti-time, sorry.” 

Logan chuckled then went over to him and the kids. "Alright all of you, calm down. Don't overwhelm him, he's still new." 

The younger raven smiled at him. “Oh, I d-don’t mind. I like kids.” He said as the reptile girl batted at his head a bit. 

"Are you sure? There's quite a few of them." He replied. 

Rick shrugged the best he could. “N-never really bothers m-me when I’m surrounded by k-kids. Whole oth-other story when I’m a-a-around just a f-few adults. I gu-guess it’s just the f-fact that k-k-kids are less li-likely to judge y-you for the littlest th-things.” The raven said a bit sadly. 

Logan frowned. "It sounds like you haven't had much good experiences." 

The younger bit the inside of his mouth. “You… you could say that…”

He patted his shoulder. "I get it, Kid. Most people are intimidated by me because of my ability." 

Rick smiled a bit. “Th-the claws, right? The h-healing too?” He asked. 

"Yep." Logan replied with a chuckle. 

“Well I th-think it’s awesome.” Rick said as he smiled up at Logan. “So, a-are you r-really like… part a-animal?” 

"I just have instincts and animal like abilities such as fast reflexes." He replied. 

Rick smiles. “Th-that is severely c-c-cool.” He said with slight excitement. 

"Thank you, although it's nothing compared to what I've heard about yours." He said. 

The younger raven blushed a bit at that and looked down at his feet. “I-I’m still p-practicing.” He mumbled in embarrassment. 

"Ah, I see. Well, that's great." He said. 

Rick smiled a bit at the praise, and was unaware of Nebula and Bruce glaring at Logan from behind him. 

Nebula growled under her breath as Bruce was trying to stay calm. He took a deep breath. "It's fine, they just met." He muttered. 

The teacher and the other X-Men called everyone inside where everyone was shown where they would stay for the night. Rick had a room right next to Elliot, per his request, and was now trying to pry the little girl off. She was stubborn though and was now dangling off one of his legs. 

"Come on, little miss. He had a long flight and he must be tired." Logan said to her. "I'm sure your teacher is looking for you." 

“I don’t wanna.” She whined. “He’s my new friend and I don’t want him to leave!” 

"Please, he's not staying very long but he will come and visit you. I promise." 

The girl blinked at Logan before looking up at Rick. “Promise?”

Rick bent down and managed to get her in his arms. “Of c-course! What kind of f-friend would that make m-me if I d-din’t?”

She blinked a few times before smiling. “Ok!” 

"Alright, now go on and let him rest, okay?" Logan said.

The girl nodded and let Rick put her down before she ran off. Rick watched her go and sighed. “God, sh-she is a-adorable.” 

He chuckled. "They're all pretty adorable, but they have their flaws. Like being clingy and all, but I digress." 

“Awe, I-I think you d-do alright with th-them.” Rick said smiling before he yawned. “Besides, y-you do set an i-important example f-for them.” 

"You really think so?" He asked. 

Rick nodded. “W-Well, yeah. You o-obviously do al-alright if th-they like you. If a k-kid doesn’t like s-something, they’ll l-let you kn-know. N-Not to m-mention you’re an X-man. Y-you basically g-give them h-hope th-that they d-don’t have to b-be a-ashamed of their abilities.”

He smiled as he thought about it. "I suppose you're right." 

The younger man smiled at him. “W-well… I’m gonna hit th-the hay. See you t-tomorrow.” He turns to go to his room. 

"Good night, Rick." He said and started to walk away. 

As Logan walked down the hall, he heard two voices arguing quietly in one of the rooms. Upon further inspection, he saw Bruce and Nebula glaring at each other and looking ready to tear each other apart. "What's up with you two?" He asked. 

Nebula turned to him with a scowl. "Rick." 

"What?" 

"We both happen to like him the same as you do." Bruce replied. 

"Excuse me? We just met, yeah I'm attracted to him and all but you two are acting like children." Logan said. 

Both heroes seem to pause at that and stare at each other. Yeah, maybe they were going a bit too far with the jealousy. 

"You're right…" Nebula muttered. 

"We shouldn't fight. If he loves someone other than us, we should respect his decision." Bruce said. "As much as we don't like it."

Logan nodded and then left the room to get some rest of his own. As he passed a window, he could’ve sworn he saw someone standing out in the yard. His hackles raised and he unsheathed his claws as he watched the small figure started running away from the mansion and into the woods. "What the hell? It must be some kid sneaking out again." He said with a sigh. He put his claws away and continued walking, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. He decided to report what he saw, just in case. After all, he didn’t win in so many wars by ignoring his instincts. He walked down to the professor’s office and knocked. 

Xavier’s voice came through the door “Come in. It’s open.” The door opened and the professor looked up at him from his desk. “Logan, is something wrong?”

Logan hesitated. "I saw someone outside. They ran into the woods. I think it's another kid sneaking out with their friends." 

The professor looked up at him and sighed. “I’m sure it’s nothing then, Logan. I’ll send someone out to find them and bring them back.” He paused and gave Logan a calculating look. “You’re not sure. Do you believe it’s something more?” 

"I do have a bad feeling, I'm not sure if it's right."

“Well, your instincts have never steered you wrong before… I’ll have someone check out the woods. You should get rest.” Xavier said gently. 

He nodded. "Alright. Good night, Xavier." He left the office and to his room. 

Xavier sighed slightly and thought a moment before using his powers to contact Storm. “Ororo, Logan thinks he saw a child in the woods. Would you go and fetch them?” 

"Yes, sir." She replied softly. 

“Thank you, and be careful. Logan’s instincts are telling him it may be something sinister, and they have never failed him before” 

"I will." She said as she went outside and to the woods. 

******

Later in the night, Storm was searching the woods and getting frustrated. She hadn’t seen a sign of anything in the woods, child or not. The white haired woman was ready to go back and give up, when she heard rustling. "Who's there?" She demanded as she looked around.

It was silent for a moment before a small figure slowly walked out of the bushes. It was a little girl in nothing but a hospital gown. She was covered in dirt, leaves, and her long red hair was dirty and tangled horribly. The girl looked up at Storm with wide scared eyes. “Are you one of the monsters?” She whispered. 

"Monsters? No, I'm not. Where you near that building?" She asked as she pointed towards it. 

The little girl nods slightly. “Mhm.” 

She sighed in relief. "You must've been the one Logan saw. Are you lost?" Storm asked. 

“I don’t know. They just left me here.” The little girl said with a shrug. 

"What's your name, little one?" 

The girl tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t have one. They said I don’t deserve one.” 

Storm frowned. "Alright, let's take you inside, it's freezing out here. Are you hungry?" 

“Yes, but don’t I have to lift something heavy or something before you feed me?” 

"Of course not, sweetie." She said softly and offered her hand. 

The girl looked at Storm’s hand and slowly takes it. 

She leads the little girl back to the school and brings her inside. "Trust me, whatever monsters you saw may have been the residents here. Don't worry, they won't hurt you." 

The girl looks up at her and tilts her head. “Are you sure? Because They told me anyone that acts nice to someone like me is a monster.” 

"That's not always true. There are generally good people out there." She replied. 

The girl stared at her a moment in skepticism before smiling. “Ok!” 

Soon, the two arrived back to the school. Storm takes her to the kitchen. "Now be quiet, many people are as-" She let out a yelp at the sight of Emery digging through the freezer. 

She looked at her. "Sup." 

"Emery, you scared me! What are you doing?" 

"Getting my ice cream sandwiches." 

The girl stared at Emery before looking up at Storm. “Is she a monster?” She asked while pointing at Emery’s mask. 

The blonde snickered. "Monster? Not exactly." She said as she grabbed the box of cold treats. 

"She just wears that because her face is hurt." Storm explained. 

“Oh.” The girl blinked. “What’s an ice cream sandwich?” 

Emery took one out. "Basically two chocolate breads with vanilla ice cream between them. Trust me, these are the best."

She gives it to her. "Try it. Also if a dark haired man in green asks about these, don't tell him it was me who took them." Emery winks at her. "He said that I shouldn't eat all of these by myself." 

The girl takes it and studies the treat before trying to eat it wrapper and all. 

"Hold on, sweetie. You have to take off the wrapping." Storm said softly as she took the treat and showed her how to open it.

Emery frowned when realization hit her. 'She doesn't know much about the world, does she?’ She thought. 

The girl takes the treat back and snarfs it down, like she was afraid of it getting taken away. She then held her head and made a pained noise. “It hurts!” 

"You ate it too fast, it hurts because of that and it's been in the freezer for awhile. We call that a brain freeze." Emery explained. 

“I don’t like it!” The girl whined. 

"That's fine, we can find something else. How about chips?" Storm asked.

She looked up at her uncertainly. “Will they hurt?” 

"Of course not. Well, unless you can't tolerate the spicy kind. Let's start with potato chips." She proceeds to grab a bag and give it to her. "They're inside the bag, don't eat the bag." 

The girl takes the already opened bag and peers at the chips inside. Being more cautious this time, she carefully took one and ate it. She chewed a few times and her eyes lit up as she grabbed a small handful. 

"Don't eat too much at once too. You'll choke on them." Emery chimed. 

The girl nodded and then proceeded to eat them one at a time. She was smiling the entire time and seemed happy. “I like these!” 

She smiled. "Good. What's your name? I'm Emery." 

“I don’t have one.” The girl said simply as she kept eating. 

Emery rubbed her chin. "Well, why don't we give you one?" 

The girl looked up at Emery with wide eyes. “You mean I can have my own name? But They said I don’t deserve one!” 

She giggled. "Of course, everyone needs a name. Hm, let's see. I've always wanted to name my daughter, Armina. But, I think it will suit you. You look pretty strong for a kid." 

“That’s cause I am.” The girl walked over to one of the wooden chairs and picks it up with ease. “This is pretty light though. I can lift much heavier stuff.” She said smiling. 

Storm raised an eyebrow. "Well what do you know? Alright, Armina, there is someone you should meet." 

Emery perked up. "Oh! I wanna come!" She hops off the counter with a smile. 

Armina tilts her head as she puts the chair down. “Who do I need to meet? Not another nurse, I hope…” She mumbled. 

"No, not a nurse. His name is Professor X. He'd love to meet you." Storm said with a smile. 

The red head nods and takes Storm’s hand again. “Ok.” 

She leads her to his office with Emery following behind. She knocked on the door. "Sir?" 

“Come in, Ororo.” The professor’s voice came through the door.

She goes in along with Armina and Emery. "I found this child. She didn't have a name and she was starving. Emery decided to call her Armina." 

Xavier looked up from his desk and took in the sight of the little girl. “Oh my… another child abandoned?” He shook his head sadly, this wasn’t uncommon for him. “Is she mutant?” 

"Yes, she has incredible strength." Storm replied. 

“Well then, at least her parents put her somewhere she can be safe.” Xavier paused and looked at Storm and Emery as he heard their doubts. “Or did they? What did she tell you two?” 

"She said that she was left in the woods. That's all I know." Storm said. 

"I don't know anything. I just saw them come into the kitchen." Emery told him. 

The professor sighed and nodded. “Very well.” He wheeled over to Armina and smiled softly at her. “Hello Armina.”

Armina looked down and hid behind Storm. “Hi… are you a monster?”

Xavier shook his head gently. “No, no, I’m not a monster. Tell me, how old are you?”

“Seven… I think…” Armina said with uncertainty.

The professor hummed a bit and looked at Storm. “Ororo, make sure Armina gets cleaned as well as some proper food and clothing. Oh, and have Hank give her a medical evaluation.” 

"Yes, sir." Storm holds onto Armina's hand and leaves. 

Emery watches them and turns to Xavier. "Do you really think there's some sinister reason she's here?" 

“I’m not sure… perhaps…” Xavier said with a sigh. “Just keep an eye on her.” 

Emery nodded. "Understood." She runs to catch up with Armina and Storm.


End file.
